PRODUCING ENHANCED PHOTOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS FROM IMAGES CAPTURED AT KNOWN EVENTS

• US 20070188626A1
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Fredlund, John, Manico, Joseph, Squilla, John
• Application Number:
  US11/696,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20070188626A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0014 via e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00143 Ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00172 directly from a still digital camera or from a storage medium mounted in a still digital camera H04N1/0018 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00193 to a portable storage medium, e.g. a read-writable compact disk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3261 of multimedia information, e.g. a sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/681 Motion detection

Abstract

A photographic system for producing an enhanced photographic product is provided. The system includes a database for storing custom content for a plurality of events. The system also includes a digital image capture device for receiving a digital image and information defining the time and geographic location the digital image was captured and automatically determining if the time and the geographic information corresponds to one of the plurality of events stored in the database and a processor for producing an enhanced photographic product including the received digital image and at least a portion of the custom content corresponding to the digital image for the one of the plurality of events found in the database.

Claims

1. A method for producing an enhanced photographic product, comprising:

storing custom content for a plurality of events in a custom content database;

receiving a digital image and information from a digital image capture device defining the time and geographic location the digital image was captured;

automatically determining if the time and the geographic information corresponds to one of the plurality of events stored in the custom content database; and

producing an enhanced photographic product including the received digital image and at least a portion of the custom content for the one of the plurality of events in the custom content database corresponding to the digital image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the digital image comprises receiving the digital image from a camera over a wireless network.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising communicating a composite image to the camera over the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving an order in relation to the enhanced photographic product from the camera over the wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the custom content further comprises storing different images of the plurality of events.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein producing the enhanced photographic product further comprised producing composite print.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling a user to purchase the enhanced photographic product.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein producing the enhanced photographic product further comprises producing a poster print.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein storing custom content further comprises storing a plurality of images.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein producing the enhanced photographic product further comprises producing an enhanced photographic product only when the event conforms to user preferences.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising entering the user preferences into the system by the user.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising analyzing the photographic behavior of the user by the system and determining user preferences by the system.

13. A method of capturing images, comprising:

storing custom content for a plurality of events in a custom content database;

automatically determining if a time and geographic location of a image capture device corresponds to one of the plurality of events in the custom content database; and

prompting the user to capture images when the user geographic location corresponds to at least one of the plurality of events.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising capturing a digital image using the digital device of the user and receiving geographic location and user time defining the location of the user and the time when the digital image was captured.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising producing an enhanced photographic product including the captured digital image and at least a portion of the custom content.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein capturing the digital image further comprises capturing the digital image from a camera over a wireless network.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising communicating a composite image to the camera over the wireless network.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising receiving an order in relation to the enhanced photographic product from the camera over the wireless network.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein storing the custom content further comprises storing a different images of the plurality of events.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein producing the enhanced photographic product further comprised producing a composite print.

21. The method of claim 15 further comprising enabling a user to purchase the enhanced photographic product.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein producing the enhanced photographic product further comprises producing a poster print.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein producing the enhanced photographic product further comprises producing an enhanced photographic product produced only when the event conforms to user preferences.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising entering the user preferences into the system by the user.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising analyzing the photographic behavior of the user by the system and determining user preferences by the system.

26. The method of claim 13, wherein storing custom content further comprises storing a plurality of images.

27. A system for producing an enhanced photographic product, comprising:

a database for storing custom content for a plurality of events;

a digital image capture device for receiving a digital image and information defining the time and geographic location the digital image was captured and automatically determining if the time and the geographic information corresponds to one of the plurality of events stored in the database; and

a processor for producing an enhanced photographic product including the received digital image and at least a portion of the custom content corresponding to the digital image for the one of the plurality of events found in the database.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the digital image capture device is a digital camera for receiving the digital image over a wireless network.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the digital image is a composite image.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the custom content includes different images of the plurality of events.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the enhanced photographic product is a composite print.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the enhanced photographic product includes a plurality of received digital images.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the enhanced photographic product further comprises a poster print.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein the enhanced photographic product further comprised a digital memory device.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein the enhanced photographic product is produced only when the event conforms to user preferences.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the user preferences are entered into the system by the user.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the photographic behavior of the user and the user preferences are analyzed by the system.

38. The system of claim 27, wherein the custom content further comprises a plurality of images.

39. A method for producing an enhanced photographic product, comprising:

storing custom content for a plurality of events in a custom content database;

automatically determining if user time and geographic location corresponds to one of the plurality of events in the custom content database;

prompting the user to capture images when the user geographic location corresponds to at least one of the plurality of events;

capturing a digital image using a digital device of the user and receiving geographic location and user time defining the location of the user and the time when the digital image was captured; and

producing an enhanced photographic product including the captured digital image and at least a portion of the custom content including images within a predetermined time range proximate the user time the digital image was captured.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein including images within a predetermined time range further comprises including images corresponding to the season of the year the image was captured.

41. A method for producing an enhanced photographic product, comprising:

storing custom content for a plurality of events in a custom content database;

receiving a digital image and information from a digital image capture device defining the time and geographic location the digital image was captured;

automatically determining if the time and the geographic information corresponds to one of the plurality of events stored in the custom content database; and

analyzing the photographic behavior of the user by the system and determining user preferences by the system for producing an enhanced photographic product including the received digital image and at least a portion of the custom content for the one of the plurality of events in the custom content database corresponding to the digital image.